Whatever He Can Do, I Can Do Better
by imaginary-witness
Summary: Levi is just a little jealous of how close Mike is to the new Commander of the Survey Corps.


Title: Whatever He Can Do, I Can Do Better  
Author: imaginary_witness  
Pairings: Eruri  
Characters: Erwin Smith, Levi, Mike Zacharias, Hanji Zoe, Flagon  
Ratings: PG/Teen  
Warnings: None.  
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Humour, Romance,

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story: living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

 **Author's Notes:** This particular story was inspired by a writer that I look up to very much, who is also a fellow Eruri fan. So I want to say thank you to Izuspp (seriously check her work out – it's great!), for being awesome and a great inspiration.

As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome! Reviews are always appreciated.

* * *

Levi had a secret.

Kept behind his cold, rude demeanor, it was impossible to tell something was eating away at him. It was worse at night, when everyone had gone to bed and he was left alone with nothing but his thoughts. It was worse in the bathroom, when he was in private with nothing but his reflection to remind him of it. But it was the absolute worst when he was anywhere near Erwin Smith.

And this happened to just be one of those moments. Seated beside Erwin in the meeting room, Levi focused on breathing deeply and trying to pay attention to the words everyone around him was saying. Blah, blah, money, blah. Funding, blah. Titans, missions, it all began to blur in his conscious. He reached up and rubbed his fingers along the front of his throat, under his cravat, and sighed heavily. He felt like he was choking. It felt like they had been sitting there for years, despite the fact that it had only been several hours. The sun had risen to its peak in the sky outside as they had passed through the late morning debating over city tax dollars. After all that time, he was still seated beside Erwin, trying to hide the fact that he was paying more attention to his crush than to his job.

Erwin noticed. His bright blue eyes were watching Levi out of the corner of his eyes, making Levi cringe. His stomach flipped and he lowered his hands to his lap, pretending to be aware of the conversation.

"We should wrap this up," Erwin began, "If we can't reach a decision now, we'll just have to take a break and spend some time reviewing the facts in private."

"That sounds like a better idea than sitting here arguing about it." Nile muttered, "It's the first good idea you had all day, Smith."

Mike snorted, stepping forward from where he had been standing off to the side. "Likewise, Dok. It's been your first agreement."

Tension between the three men buzzed in the atmosphere, before Erwin reached a hand up and placed his palm against Mike's chest. "Now, Mike. Let's not push Nile more than we already have today."

"Meeting adjourned." Pixie's stated in a loud clear voice, slapping the tabletop several times. "Commander Erwin, hmhmhm, that will take me some getting used to, and commander Dok. Let's say we meet back here, same time, erm, in two weeks. That should be enough time, erm, yes."

Erwin nodded, an expression of pride crossing his face at Pixie's use of his newly appointed title, and made polite small talk with the commander of the garrison.

The room became a flurry of activity, with everyone rising to take their leave. Levi sat perfectly still, waiting for the room to empty. He didn't feel like rushing to get out the door and possibly be trampled by the pigs running back to the interior. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the tabletop. He would have to ask Erwin to fill him in on the details of the meeting later, but he had time to brace himself for that. It wasn't easy talking to Erwin directly, let alone pay attention to much when he was seated beside him.

He hadn't realized that most of the room had emptied quickly, with many of the other faction representatives leaving early to make it to their headquarters in time to rely the outcome of the quarterly meeting. There was still some people that lingered behind, having quiet conversations, so he wasn't aware that most of them were his own comrades.

"Are you alright, Levi?" Erwin asked, his voice causing Levi to look up.

Erwin was standing beside him, looking down at him. He had his hand on a few sheets of paper on the tabletop, his other hand rested on his belt. Mike was shadowing him, as usual, standing just behind him and looking at Levi over Erwin's shoulder.

Levi gazed up at them stupidly, not fully breaking out of his thoughts. He opened his mouth to reply, but he barely made a sound. He had made the mistake of looking up into Erwin's eyes, instantly rendering himself temporarily stupid.

"We're going to grab some food. Would you like to come?" Erwin asked, one corner of his lips pulling up in a crooked half-smile.

Levi felt punched in the gut at Erwin's expression. He gave his head a small shake, trying to clear it, but came across as silently declining the invitation.

Erwin looked at Mike and shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself." he mumbled, looking slightly flustered by Levi's silent answer. The pair began to head to the door, Erwin reaching out to touch the small of Mike's back, gently pushing him to leave first.

Levi cursed his stupidity. He should have accepted the invitation so that he didn't appear so cold. He held his face in his hands, elbows on the table, and tried not to scream. Erwin hesitated in the doorway, looking back to see Levi. He considering going back and asking Levi if he was truly alright, given his solitary posture, but he reconsidered and followed Mike out.

"Come on," Mike told him, patting Erwin's shoulder. "He'll come around. He's got to eat sometime."

Levi managed to suppress a growl of frustration. Angry with himself, he rose and looked around, as if truly coming back to reality and not just arguing with the voices in his head. Hanji and Moblit were still in the room, so he quickly took his leave, not wanting to be dragged into any discussions that would revolve around asking Erwin permission to capture a titan. He needed to do something that would take the tall, blonde stud off his mind.

Levi headed out to the court yard, searching for his old squad leader. He found him not far off, heading with another soldier to the supplies building.

"Oi, Flagon." he called, getting the man's attention as he walked up to him.

"Oh." Flagon turned to face Levi as he approached, not entirely thrilled to see him. The last time he had seen Levi, they had argued quite loudly over Furlan Church – Levi's deceased friend, resulting in Mike breaking them up. "The meetings over then, I take it, Lieutenant?"

"Tsk," Levi rolled his eyes, "No decisions have been made."

Flagon nodded, frowning. "Damn."

"I was wondering if I could accompany you. You're going to practice the forest drill, right?"

"Yeah." Flagon turned to glance at the other soldier, then back at Levi. He hesitated for a moment, surprised Levi wanted anything to do with him. He didn't mind Levi, disagreeing with his new reputation of being rude and careless; rather he cared too much, and that often led to violent outbursts when challenged. "Yeah, you can come along, Levi."

Levi nodded his thanks, then followed the pair to the supplies building to filled up their gas tanks before heading out. As they were leaving, Hanji and Moblit entered, stopping them and inviting themselves along. Since there were now five of them, they decided to make it a friendly competition, with three of them controlling the wooden titan dummies, and the other two having to get to them in the shortest amount of time. It was warm out, but the shade from the trees kept them cool, and they easily passed the greater part of the afternoon slaying titans.

It was not yet sunset when the group called it quits. Levi had won several rounds, with Flagon and Hanji having bested the rest of them. They brought back the empty gas tanks they had taken out as spares, refilling them before parting ways to clean up or find food. Levi was glad he had spent the afternoon occupied. On the battlefield, in a life and death situation, he couldn't let Erwin distract him.

He headed to the mess hall for food, followed by Hanji, who had left their assistant with the cleaning. He was hoping that he could have his meal unnoticed, but with Hanji by his side, that didn't seem likely. He wasn't entirely sure why they attempted to befriend him and acted rather uninterested, hoping it wasn't another attempt to get him to agree with them on the importance of titan knowledge. He realized his responses would only further the poor reputation he was slowly developing. Despite the fact that Erwin had appointed him as Lieutenant shortly after he had become Commander, many of the soldier's still called him aloof behind his back. In spite of his best efforts to socialize, he was still considered unfriendly, unapproachable, and rude. Like Erwin, he was often spoken of as some kind of monster or villain. Perhaps it was why he felt so drawn to him?

But Erwin wasn't interested in him in the same way, he was sure of it. If Erwin were gay, and that was a question Levi still had no answer to, he was positive he already had a lover. Levi wouldn't say he stalked Erwin, but he had his suspicions raised about Erwin's best man, Mike, and the depth of their relationship. When he had first joined the scouts, Mike had treated him rough in an effort to protect Erwin. He had kept his distance afterwards, but threw himself between Levi and Erwin without hesitation whenever they got too close. And many nights Levi had waited for several hours at a time, hidden from view, for Mike and Erwin to leave the office. Wherever Erwin went, Mike followed. It was almost impossible to get the blonde alone, ever before he was Commander.

Levi made a sound of displeasure to himself as he grabbed a tray of food from one of the soldier's handing them out. He couldn't help it if he found the commander attractive. And it was more of a physical attraction; it wasn't just about Erwin's toned muscles, handsome jaw line, or pale blonde hair. True, he did have a sexual attraction to tall, blonde men. But there was something in Erwin's eyes that Levi had fallen head over heels for, a presence of vibrant energy that made Levi lose his breath every time he saw it. Just thinking of it now, Levi found himself mesmerized by the expression in his memories of Erwin.

Levi caught himself biting his lower lip as he faced the wall, forgetting all about his food and Hanji taking a seat at his side as he daydreamed about the commander. He shook himself back to the presence and shoved a spoonful of hot stew into his mouth. The sauce burned his tongue and caused tears to well up in his eyes, but it woke him from his thoughts. He exhaled in relief, letting the burn linger on his taste buds, glad to distract himself from the pain in his chest.

But his relief was short lived. Two trays were set down opposite him, interrupting his view of the blank stone wall. And then Erwin and Mike sat down.

Levi's eyes widened and he hurried to let his hair fall in his eyes.

"Finally eating, Levi?" Erwin asked, picking up his spoon.

Levi only nodded, biting on the burnt tip of his tongue as he tried to quickly think up something to say.

Erwin took Levi's silence for the rumoured coldness of his personality, his lips pulling down in a frown. Mike noticed Erwin's frown, placing an encouraging hand over Erwin's on the tabletop.

Levi was studying his carrots, oblivious of Erwin's reaction to his silence, when he noticed Mike's hand hold Erwin's. He hid his gasp of surprise with a hiss, looking up and saying the first words he could think of.

"I- burnt my tongue." he exhaled, looking slightly panicked.

Erwin nodded slowly, watching Levi intently. "Oh?" he managed to say, looking at a loss for words. "I see."

Hanji chuckled at their awkward social interaction. Their brown eyes were sparkling with laughter, taking in the rough way the three soldiers reacted to each others' presence.

Mike made a noise of approval, to indicate he was following their conversation. The sound sent a spike up Levi's back, his subconscious immediately analyzing the sound for its various potential meanings. Was he simply agreeing out of acknowledgement, or was he glad Levi burnt his tongue so that he couldn't flirt with Erwin? Did he think it made him, in some way, superior to Levi in Erwin's eyes?

Levi forced the spontaneous and ridiculous ideas out of his mind and tried to focus on the present.

"I...was busy earlier, that's why I didn't come to lunch with you guys. I promised Flagon that I would help him run the forest drill."

Hanji grinned, becoming excited. "You should have seen him! Levi bested everyone there!"

Erwin nodded again, but his hand curled underneath Mike's, his fingernails scratching the tabletop. He didn't know how to express his contempt, upset that Levi had chosen Flagon over himself. Mike felt the change in Erwin's body, reading the tension that ran through him at the mention of Flagon, and covered the action by mimicking it, tightening his hold on Erwin's hand.

Levi looked away, as if he wasn't noticing their outward display of affection.

"I see." Erwin managed to repeat.

Mike took the opportunity that Levi gave them by looking away to glare at Erwin. He raised his eyebrows, then looked at Levi, as if to push Erwin to speak more words than the same phrase over and over. Erwin opened his mouth, then silently grimaced at Mike, as if to confess his cluelessness on what to say. Hanji glanced sideways at Levi, then raised their eyebrows at Erwin. It was a first time they had seen Erwin appear so clueless. It was the first time they had seen Erwin flustered by anyone at all. They all dropped their expressions and became neutral as Levi turned back to face first Erwin, then Mike.

"Training is good." Erwin stated, pushing his spoon around the stew. "Promotes awareness for the missions. Me and Mike like to run along Wall Rose in the morning. We haven't done the drills for a long time. Haven't found the time."

Mike snorted, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we've been busy, that's for sure."

Levi nodded, trying to think of an appropriate response. Socializing was never his thing, so he took extra time to think of what he was going to say to Erwin. He didn't want to say anything that might offend him or make him think there was something wrong with Levi. At the same time he wanted to mouth off Mike, who's continuous input was beginning to frustrate him.

"Mmh." he hummed, before shoving food into his mouth so that he could buy himself more time for a reply. "Well, it's different on the missions anyways. So it's not like you're missing much. Sometimes even the people that do good at the drills die in the missions regardless. Just look at...Furlan."

Levi stopped himself. This was another topic he forbade himself from. But when he grew flustered around Erwin, it was easy for him to run back to the one familiar face he knew.

Erwin's inhale was sharp. Mike squeezed his hand.

Levi looked at his tray, suddenly aware that he was eating potatoes. Potatoes were Furlan's favorite. He let the spoon rest against his dish, then rose. "Excuse me. I'm not hungry anymore." he managed to state, then picked up his tray and carried it back to the soldier that he had gotten it from. The man thanked him, then looked in concern at the amount of food still left on his plate. But Levi had left the mess hall before anyone could call him back.

Mike released Erwin's hand and sighed heavily.

Erwin's lower lip quivered as he looked from the seat Levi had vacated to his own tray of food. "Do you think he's still-" he began, leaving the question unfinished.

"Not over it?" Mike finished, "Yeah."

Erwin let go of his spoon before running his fingers along the bridge of his nose and the corner of his eyes, covering his face from view. He exhaled heavily, blowing out his cheeks. "Do you think it's hopeless? That he really is as cold as they say he is?"

Mike swallowed his bite of food before answering, turning his hand up in the air in a so-so manner. "He doesn't smell distant." he murmured, "Just sad. Give him time, Erwin. He's only been up here for three months."

Erwin nodded, his hands leaving his face so he could rest his arms on the table. He stared at the doorway where Levi left, his mind working in overdrive as he tried to figure him out.

Hanji watched the Commander's reaction in silence. "I'm going after him." they announced, rising and leaving their tray of food behind. There was definitely something going on between Levi, Erwin, and Mike, and Hanji was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Levi stayed outside in the courtyard, looking up and watching the sky change colours. Ironically, it was the sky that grounded him: no matter where he was above ground, the sky would be the same. It was a comforting thought.

Levi was brought out of his thoughts when someone called his name from across the yard. He pushed off the wall he was leaning against, squinting as he looked around in the growing darkness for the sound of the voice. And then he saw someone waving at him, seated on a bench. He headed over, crossing his arms across his chest, then took a seat beside them on the bench.

"How goes it, Levi?"

"Alright, Flagon." Levi replied.

"Smoke?" Flagon asked, offering Levi his cigarette.

Levi took it without a word and took a long drag.

Flagon placed his arms on the brick ledge behind them and stretched his back. "Did ya eat?"

"Yeah." Levi exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Yeah, I had some food. You?"

"I ate out here." Flagon motioned to the tray on the other side of him. "I couldn't...be in that hall."

"Yeah," Levi agreed, "It gets...crowded in there sometimes. I wish I had come out here too."

Flagon glanced at him, then reached out for the smoke. He took a drag, then looked at the mess hall doors. "Smith and Zacharius in there again?"

Levi narrowed his eyes, glaring at Flagon. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Nothing really. I just avoid them when I can. It's bad enough for me to have to listen to Erwin all the time when I'm working. I don't need them breathing down my neck when I'm eating too."

Levi chuckled, the sound surprising Flagon. He took the cigarette back from Flagon for another drag as he processed this information: so everyone knew Mike followed Erwin everywhere. He decided to pry for more information.

"Are they always together, Smith and Mike?"

Flagon smirked and nodded, raising an eyebrow and giving Levi a funny look, as if it was insane to suggest otherwise. "Always together. Unless Smith directs Mike's squad elsewhere, they're almost inseparable. I heard they went through the training corps together too, along with Dok. But he broke up their holy trinity or something by joining the military police."

Levi nodded, absorbing this knowledge like a sponge. He wondered how much more information he could squeeze from Flagon without raising suspicions.

"Dok was their friend? He was rude in the meeting today."

"Rumor is they broke up over a girl. Dok wanted a family, Erwin and Mike wanted the corps. You can see how it went."

Levi's eyebrows knit together, trying to read in between the lines. "So Erwin and Mike..." he began.

"Yeah," Flagon dragged on the word, "They entered the corps together. Shared the same bunks together. Raised in the ranks together. They're really close. Kinda like you and Furlan."

Levi nodded, taking another drag on the smoke, then handing it back to Flagon. He tried to ignore his comment on Furlan, trying to redirect the conversation back to Mike. "Besides being a brute, is there anything Mike is particularly good at then? I mean, Erwin's a good fighter. I don't see why he would depend on Mike so much."

Flagon shrugged. "If you ask me, it's more of a...companionship thing." he stretched out the word, dragging on it so that Levi could play with the meaning. "Besides fighting, which you match him in, Mike's really just a good nose and brain. Honestly, I think you could best him if you wanted to. He's really Erwin's little bitch."

Levi turned this opinion over in his mind. He was toe to toe with Mike in battle, even from day one in the underground. Despite his smaller size, he was just as strong as him. Faster. He was a smartass. He wasn't afraid to say his opinion, unlike Mike some of the time. In truth, besides being unable to sniff out titans, Levi was positive Flagon was right. He could outdo Mike if he wanted to.

The thought made Levi proud. He felt a swell of confidence and decided to press Flagon for a more obvious opinion. "So, would you say they're together?" he asked, his brows knitting together as he feigned ignorance of Flagon's previous statement. "Like...like a couple?"

"Like...lock and key? Yeah, probably. Probably as close as you and Furlan."

"Got something to say about Furlan?" He asked. He was distracted from the topic of Erwin by the continuous mention of late friend. It caught him off guard and he ignored defining the relationship he had with his friend to push for Flagon's answer.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Flagon was quiet as he smoked, then he moved to place his elbows on his knees and lean forwards, turning to look at Levi. "You know I was against you, when you first came here. I didn't want to be your squad leader, wanted Erwin to do that – since he brought you."

Levi only nodded, looking up at the stars. After a moment he glanced at Flagon. "Oh? And what made you change your mind?"

"I didn't." Flagon chuckled dryly, "Erwin just put you on me, gave me orders and all. But, you know I'm glad that he did."

Levi smirked. Clearly there was more on his mind than Flagon let on. "What's on your mind, Flagon? Really."

"Ahh, you can tell I'm beating around the bush, eh?" Flagon laughed, "I was thinking of your friends. Practicing with you today, I guess it reminded me of when you and Furlan would do the course. I'm really sorry I couldn't be there outside of the walls. Maybe I could've done something."

The colour left Levi's face and he looked down at the bricks beneath his feet. "It's alright, Flagon." he mumbled. He realized Flagon reminded him of Furlan in some ways, making it easier for him to talk to him. Even the man's name was quite similar. "It's the past."

Flagon nodded, handing Levi the smoke. His fingertips brushed against Levi's as the passed the cigarette, and Levi pulled away much quicker, surprised by the unexpected touch. He licked his lower lip, then took a heavy drag on the smoke to give himself time to recover.

Flagon didn't seem to notice. He looked up at the sky above them.

Levi glanced at him, watching how relaxed Flagon was. He was easy for Levi to hold conversations with, easy to spend part of the day with. He didn't mind Levi's touch, and he admired his skill as a soldier. Levi found his thoughts taking him down a different path than he expected, offering himself an alternative to the pain of rejection from Erwin that had become routine for him.

Erwin, he was now sure, confided in Mike's company, as both a lover and close friend. Mike, being perceptive, probably saw the things that Erwin didn't, the feelings that Levi tried to bury whenever he was around Erwin. It was why he never let Levi be alone with Erwin, why he held his hand at dinner. He was warning Levi to stay away, to leave their relationship alone.

And Flagon... Levi looked at Flagon, biting his lower lip. He had grown close to Levi overtime. They had hated each other at first, but they were closer now. Perhaps they could grow even closer and Levi could forget about his passion for Erwin Smith? At the very least he could have a chance to focus on his friendship with Flagon and not be so caught up by Erwin.

The cigarette had burned low as they sat for a minute in silence, but to Levi it felt a lot longer. He took another drag on the cigarette, figuring it was his last.

"Levi?" Flagon asked, still looking up at the sky.

Levi had been looking at the sky over the mess hall doors. He opened his mouth to reply, when a familiar figure caught his attention. "Yeah, Flagon?" he answered, trying not to sound distracted as he watched Mike appear outside the mess hall. It surprised Levi when he realized that Erwin was nowhere near him. Mike gazed around, then began to walk towards them.

Levi looked back to Flagon, hoping that Mike wasn't coming towards him. He handed the cigarette back to Flagon, who took and sat up, oblivious to Mike's appearance.

"Do you have time for a drill tomorrow?" Flagon asked him.

Mike walked by Levi and Flagon, reaching out and grabbing Hanji not too far from them. He wrapped his arm around the their shoulders, bringing them close to hiss in their ear.

Levi was momentarily distracted. He hadn't even noticed Hanji was so close by. "What?" he asked, realizing that if he wasn't paying attention to Flagon. He tried to get back into the conversation. He was just gaining Flagon's trust, he couldn't show him he was as distant as the other soldiers said he was.

"We could do another drill tomorrow. How about we do something other than the forest? Maybe the wall? I'd have to ask the garrison."

"Sure." Levi agreed, trying to sound genuinely interested. "That sounds good."

"Alright. So I'll meet you at the supplies building at the same time."

Levi nodded, deciding now would be a good time to take his leave. He got to his feet, noticing how Mike turned his head in the slightest to catch a glance at him as he left. He didn't like how close Hanji had been to him.

Unsure of where to go to waste a few hours before bed, Levi found himself walking to Erwin's office. He kept his steps determined, trying not to look confused to anyone who passed him on his way. He decided that he would ask Erwin for a summary of the meeting from earlier, figuring it would be a good distraction while he lay awake, insomniac. He knew having passed Mike in the court yard that the dog wouldn't be there to shadow Erwin. Perhaps that's why he headed there? It would be interesting to see Erwin without Mike for once.

He knocked at the office door, not waiting for an answer from Erwin, and let himself in.

"Mike?" Erwin asked immediately, "Back already?"

Levi analyzed the words; they didn't tell him anything about why Mike was away from Erwin. Only that he had permission to walk in and out of the office as he pleased.

"No," he replied curtly, "It's me. Erwin, I came by just to ask about the meeting. I was wondering if you could summarize the main points for me regarding the budget."

Erwin looked up from his paperwork, already overlooking the points from the meeting. Clearly he had the same thought process that Levi had regarding the corps.

"Oh, sure Levi." He smiled, "Please, pull up a chair, we can go over it together."

Levi tried to maintain his composure as he dragged the chair from in front of Erwin's desk to beside the blonde. Once again they were side by side over these points and he felt his blood begin to warm.

"Alright," Erwin began, pointing out the top row on the chart. "So this document was drafted by the tax collectors in Sina. They speculate that the costs of the garrison went up to maintain the gates of the three walls. In order to balance the budgets they want to take the funds for the garrison from the Survey Corps, but we know that can't happen."

"Pigs." Levi commented, "They pick on you because of what Shadis left behind."

Erwin's eyes widened in response to Levi's comment, surprised he was perceptive enough to gather that amount of information in the short time he had been recruited.

Levi leaned over Erwin's arm, careful not to touch him. "Those numbers for the incoming taxes don't add up." he pointed out, trying to block out the fuzz in his brain.

"Exactly." Erwin agreed. "Neither do the ones they have for the military police funds, here. They are showing more than they get funded."

Erwin pointed at a small box in the farthest column of the chart, meaning to point out the funding but only succeeding in touching the same place on the paper that Levi was sliding his finger to as he ran it across the row. The two both gasped, turning to face each other. To Erwin's surprise, Levi was smiling.

"Sorry," Erwin began.

"It's...alright." Levi managed to say.

Before he could say anything else, the door to the office flew open and Mike strode in. "I lost him, Erwin." he announced as he walked in, then stopped halfway to Erwin's desk when he realized he wasn't alone.

Erwin looked from Levi to Mike and then quickly shook his head. "It's alright Mike, we'll just have to tail him next time." he said, trying to cover Mike's careless mistake.

Mike nodded, then came to stand in front of the desk, feigning to read the documents upside down in an attempt to calm himself down and keep from looking surprised by Levi. "What are you looking over?" he asked in a low voice.

Levi's eyes narrowed at Mike, watching his actions. He could read past the neutral act, noticing the way Mike's body seemed tensed with surprise. Was the dog surprised to find his man discussing the funds with him?

Levi laughed to himself in his head, enjoying the thought that he came between the two. He was sure Mike viewed him as a threat to his relationship. He wanted to reach out and place his hand over Erwin's, the way Mike had at dinner earlier, but he knew it wouldn't have the effect he wanted it to. If Erwin didn't return his affections, it would make Levi come across as cheap. And it would only let them in on his little secret. Instead, he straightened up and let Erwin and Mike pour over the documents.

"We were just analyzing the shift in the various fundings. These numbers aren't adding up."

"Hmph." Mike agreed, following Erwin's logic as he attempted to read the document. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head, trying to follow the upside-down writing.

"Is that our main problem?" Levi asked, surprised how easily he was cut out of the conversation.

Mike moved around the table, coming to read the document right way up over Erwin's shoulder. He placed a hand on Erwin's shoulder, leaning on him as he bent down to read.

"Well, it's own main point of argument." Erwin replied, trying to talk around Mike.

Levi stood, offering Mike his vacated seat. "Hmm?" He hummed, going to lean against the wall.

Erwin frowned, watching Levi distance himself. "I can't risk us taking another hit at the funding. I only just began to raise it from what Keith had it reduced to."

"So just confront Dok." Levi rolled his eyes, "I'll bring it up if you want."

Erwin and Mike both looked up at Levi, surprised by his cool demeanor about accusing the military police of embezzlement.

"Are you suggesting-"

"Look, it doesn't take a scientist to put it together. They have more funds than allotted, so that money must be coming from somewhere. Just look at me: I had military gear in the underground. Don't you think we got that from somewhere?"

Mike's eyes narrowed and he lifted his gaze to meet Levi's. "You're not saying you bought the maneuver gear from the military police, are you?"

"I'm just saying...the military police may be more than capable of finding funding elsewhere."

Erwin and Mike shared a look of intelligence. They were silent, however it was obvious they were communicating a whole conversation through their eyes alone. Levi found it an intimate sight to witness, knowing it took years of trust and bonding to be able to share such an intense conversation with just a glance. He had only developed that trust with Furlan recently, and had wavering moments in which he chose not to trust him with it.

"I'll take my leave." he stated, kicking himself off the wall and heading to the door without another word. He didn't want to witness such a close bond, not when he was still healing from the loss of one and the constant bitter, albeit ignorant, rejection of another.

Erwin turned to face Levi, opening his mouth to protest his leave, but Mike put his hand down on the document in front of them. "Just leave it, Erwin." he suggested, "Let him rest."

* * *

Levi scowled as he headed to his bunk, not to lay down and sleep, but to stay awake and ponder the funds of the military police. Mike seemed to be glad he was leaving so he could have Erwin to himself, so he humoured the dog and took his leave quietly. His bunkmates were all under the covers when he arrived, so he sat in his chair quietly and curled up to face the sky outside. Despite himself, he didn't focus on the military police's funding at all. Instead, he began to contemplate how the dog would have reacted if he had placed his hand on Erwin's in the office. Would he have gotten jealous or would he have called Levi out on it right then and there. No, a small part of his subconscious argued, what if they weren't really dating and he only made a fool of himself. Disturbed, Levi decided to head back to Erwin's office, determined to find out if Erwin and Mike really were a couple or not. Despite Flagon's words, he couldn't find himself believing in dinner hall gossip.

* * *

Erwin and Mike had stayed behind after Levi had left to review the funds they hadn't analyzed yet, the amount for the garrison. Mike had pulled the chair around the desk so that he was sitting across from Erwin, crossing his legs ankle to knee, and sipping on a glass of wine Erwin had poured for him. Erwin had a hand under his chin, trying to stay awake as he read the document over and over, trying to make sense of the numbers.

Mike reached up and ran his thumb and index finger down his mustache and around his chin. "He's really fast." he commented, looking down at the tabletop.

"What was that?" Erwin asked, shifting through the papers.

""Levi." Mike stated, swirling his wine around the glass, then began speaking as he gazed into the glass. "He's fast. Even when he's walking. I found him in the courtyard and then he was gone. I didn't think he would come here. Quick to piece things together too."

"Did you approach him in the courtyard?" Erwin asked, papers immediately forgotten. He rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake.

"He was sitting and talking with Flagon. Hanji told me they were speaking about you and Furlan before I got there. And they made plans to run the wall drill tomorrow."

"Another practice with Flagon?" Erwin asked, eyebrows knitting together, ignoring that Flagon had bitched about him to Levi. "That's...fine, I suppose."

"Fine, Erwin?"

"Well, he is being social to some degree. He lost his friends, he's probably drawn to Flagon from his likeness to Furlan."

Mike nodded, "Doesn't that bother you?"

Erwin sighed, looking down at the papers. "It does." he confessed.

"Of course it would. You want him all to yourself."

Erwin glanced up at Mike to find him grinning. "I just think-"

"Thinking with your dick, aren't you Erwin?"

Erwin's eyes widened and he instantly felt like he was back in the training barracks with Mike. "That's ridiculous. You-"

"If you really want him to notice you, let's crash their practice."

Erwin looked stunned, staring at Mike as if he had grown a second head. "What?" he began to laugh, beginning to feel teenage again.

"I'm serious. You already told him you didn't run a practice drill in a while. We'll go and say we talked about it and decided to run the wall. I'll busy Flagon, you talk to Levi. Should be easy."

Erwin blinked, surprised by the amount of words Mike had said. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Then he began to laugh. "Actually Mike, that's not a bad idea."

Mike began to laugh as well, his shoulders shaking.

Erwin shook his head, forcing himself to focus on his work. "Sure. What time?" he asked.

"I'll get you tomorrow morning. You'll have enough warning."

"Fine."Erwin nodded, then began to look at the papers again. "But don't bring Hanji. Please."

Mike smirked, then finished his wine.

They sat in silence for several minutes, with Mike in his own thoughts and Erwin consumed by the problem of funding. He nodded once, catching himself as he began to fall asleep, which caught Mike's attention.

"C'mon Erwin, let's head to bed. You can't keep pushing yourself like this." He got up and came around to pull Erwin to his feet, despite his protests, and began to lead him out of the office and to his quarters.

* * *

Levi was reaching for the door of Erwin's office when he heard laughter from inside. He pressed his ear to the door, but the rest of their voices was a hushed blur. Then there was movement. He hurried to stand in the shadows, pressing himself against a brick support pillar and hoping the shadows were dark enough to hide his pants.

Thankfully, neither Mike or Erwin looked around as they headed to Erwin's room. Levi's eyes narrowed in distaste as he watched them retire for the night, as Mike smelled of alcohol and led Erwin off to bed.

* * *

Levi didn't sleep well. The few hours of sleep he managed to have were dreamless and empty. He had spent the better part of the night angry, thinking up various things he could use to snide Mike. He debated on his stance with his secret, deliberating his desire for Erwin, whether he should fight for the chance to be with him or force himself to stop crushing on him. He was indefinitely going to follow him as a soldier. The question was how badly did he want to follow him as a lover?

Levi's back was sore from sleeping curled up. He stood up and stretched, rising when everyone else in his barrack did. He strapped his legs into the maneuver gear harness, then worked his way up to his belt, before adding his back and chest straps. His brain felt foggy as he stepped into his boots, before he focused on his tasks for the day. He was assigned to the supplies room today, which made meeting Flagon for their practice session easier. Afterwards he had some spare time, so he planned on using it for the maintenance of his gear. He could go and revise the plans for the Survey Corps' next excursion with Erwin in the evening after dinner. Sighing, Levi headed to the mess hall to grab some food. It was going to be a long day.

Levi was surprised and grateful to find meat on his tray for breakfast. In the short time he had been recruited, they had only had meat twice before. He ate one of the three pieces of bacon first, delighted at the taste. The mess hall was beginning to fill up with more soldiers, which usually prompted Levi to finish his breakfast quickly. Today however, he didn't seem to mind, wanting to enjoy the rare flavours of the meat.

Mike elbowed Erwin as they sat eating, pointing out Levi to him from across the hall. They had been eating when Levi had arrived, so they hadn't the chance to sit with him.

"He seems to be enjoying himself today." Mike whispered, his lips pulling up in a smile.

Erwin nodded, "I think he likes the meat." he smirked, eating another piece of bacon himself.

Levi rose shortly after, unaware that he had been watched, and picked up his tray. He adjusted his chest strap with one hand as he headed to the soldier responsible for the kitchens this morning, then headed out to the supplies building to help them with the shipment of gas.

The morning passed steadily and fairly quickly. Levi mostly gave orders and supervised cadets, overlooking them as they performed the smaller, detailed work that helped the Survey Corps move forward. Towards the late morning, Levi took off his jacket and began to help, lifting and hauling the larger and heavier boxes of supplies they had just packed. These were the supplies that they would take by wagon and leave at checkpoints outside the walls; making human expansion and titan investigation easier to conduct.

He stopped what he was doing when he caught Flagon lingering by the door, watching him work. Grabbing his jacket, he slipped his arms through the sleeves as he approached him, trying to seem sociable.

"That time already?" he asked, indicating he was clear to go.

"Yeah." Flagon smirked. He clipped two canisters of gas to his gear, having already slipped blades into his sheathes. "It's something I won't ever get used to." he snorted, "You, lifting all those boxes."

Levi rolled his eyes, clipping his own gas canisters in his gear. "The short jokes are starting to get old fast." he replied, trying to make it sound like he was joking as well.

Flagon's friend glanced in the doorway, having already collected his gear. He was holding spare canisters of gas, since they would probably use more of it today racing up and down the side of Wall Rose.

"C'mon, let's go." Flagon started, picking up several spare canisters as well. "You don't have to bring any, short-stuff. Give your arms a break."

Levi scowled, taking Flagon's smart remarks as nothing but banter. He wanted to use the gear to propel himself towards the wall, like how he used to travel in the underground when wearing it, but he knew it was irresponsible and probably would result in some sort of accident up here. Down there, he didn't have to worry about others as much.

They set their spare supplies down a little ways away from the wall and Flagon immediately headed over to assist the Garrison members that had decided to help them with their training. They too would join in, mostly controlling the titan dummies so that groups of four or five could take on the practice drill.

Levi and Flagon were in the first group. They had made a deal with the garrison cadets: since they were superior officers, they would watch the garrison and critique their techniques when they themselves were taking a break. Three of the garrison members and them began the first drill, starting at the top of the wall and heading down to battle man titan dummies on the ground. These dummies were slightly different from the ones in the forest: they had limbs that could mimic the way titans moved their arms, controlled by more rope pulleys that a second person would operate. After dispatching the titans on the ground level, the group would have to ascend the wall and battle titans set up on the other side.

Levi and Flagon were the fastest, being part of the Survey Corps and having experience battling actual titans. Some garrison members were making fun of their serious expressions about the training, others were awe-struck and displayed the utmost respect. Levi was breathing heavy, having worked up a quick sweat just liberating the area of the first batch of titans, when he ascended the wall and began to liberate the area that was within Wall Maria's territory. His vision was fading at the sides and sharpening in the center as he faded into what he called 'the black,' barely able to hear the cadets around him as he slashed at the back of each titan. He had blocked everything out, all the praises they were pinning to his name, as he thought of the titan that had taken his brother away from him. By the time he ascended Wall Rose a second time, he was breathing heavily from emotions more than his work out.

It surprised him when he came face to face with Erwin, standing on top of the wall. His initial reaction was to step back and raise his blades, growing defensive before he fully realized who he was. "Commander," he breathed, his chest rising and falling steadily as he breathed, "You surprised me."

"Because you mentioned the drills yesterday at dinner, we decided to come run one as well." Erwin explained, motioning to Mike and his own gear. "We were going to run the forest when one of the cadets mentioned a group of you going to run the wall."

"You're more than welcomed to join, Commander." Flagon saluted.

"Great." Erwin smiled. "Mike can do the first run with you-"

"I'll do the run with Mike." Levi cut in, his eyes narrowed.

Mike glanced at Erwin, swallowing nervously. Levi seemed to be more aggressive than usual, he could smell his anger.

"S-sure." Flagon agreed, stepping aside so that himself and Erwin were out of the way.

Levi took a step forwards, towards the edge of the wall. Mike followed. Flagon held out his arm, stopping the three garrison recruits from following. "Let them take this one alone, alright?"

Flagon's friend held up his arm and then lowered it, letting the garrison below know they were going to start.

The minute his hand came down, Levi and Mike were off the wall with a burst of speed. Mike took advantage of his weight, letting gravity pull him down faster. Levi growled, there was no trees or buildings this close to the wall that he could anchor to, and since the titans weren't real he couldn't anchor to them. He narrowed his eyes, curling up so his overall size would be increase his fall.

Mike had glanced back and noticed. He snorted, eager for some competition, then launched an anchor at a close tree and circled it, coming back to slash his blades through the back of the first titan's neck. But seconds before his blades made contact, the sacks placed at the titan's nape were split open as Levi blew past. Stealing Mike's kill, he sped off, heading to the closest titan and taking another kill.

Mike glared, wondering what had caused Levi to perform such a spiteful move. He narrowed his eyes and glanced around the drill, reminding himself to sniff out the wood fibers and not the real scent of titans. He flipped the switches on his blade controls, before squeezing the triggers and launching an anchor on a tree near another titan. He brought his blades back, grunting loudly with the effort as he accelerated towards the titan's nape. Out of nowhere, a line shot across his path and a blur flew by, the leaving only the titan's nape slashed open with a small growl of fury. Mike pulled back, quickly sending his anchor to the same tree and reeling himself backwards. Most of the titans were taken down and Levi was continuously interceding with his attempts to kill any. He narrowed his eyes, determined to get at least one before Levi caught him.

Up on the wall, Flagon, Erwin, and the few garrison members watched on in awe. While Mike had seemed to have the upper hand heading into battle, Levi used his small stature and speed to make sure Mike hadn't gotten a single kill. Erwin inhaled sharply as he saw Levi boldly cross in front of Mike's blades, cutting him off a second time. He worried Levi was behaving too rashly, and might end up injuring himself. His concern steadily grew as he realized how heated things were becoming in what should have been the usual training drill.

Levi ground his teeth together, launching an anchor in a tree farther away and taking out two titans in one release. He had a strategy: if he could eliminate the titans closest to Zacharias, he would be able to see if he would be targeting other titans further out.

Mike read Levi's strategy as he waited. Skipping past the few titans that were closest to him, he sped to the opposite side, finally managing to gain three titan kills as Levi was preoccupied.

Both stopped, Levi digging his heels into the ground as he dropped to the Earth. Mike had caught a branch as he reeled himself into the tree, perching to gaze around the battlefield. One glance around the battlefield let them both know that there was no more titans left on this side. With a speed that seemed almost inhuman, both men aimed their anchors at the wall and pulled their triggers to release gas. They were side by side as they reached the base of Wall Rose, before sending their anchors further up. Levi used his small weight and size to speed up his ascend, glaring at Mike as he passed him.

Mike shivered in response. There was nothing but contempt in Levi's cold, silver eyes as he glared at him. He watched Levi pass him, surprised by his aggression, realizing that this was not a friendly competition. Levi was out to crush his reputation and scorn him. The only thing Mike didn't understand was why?

Levi met Erwin's eyes as he raced passed, slowing as his feet touched the top of Wall Rose. His challenge shone clearly in his eyes, conveying his message to Erwin: whatever Mike could do, he could do better. It made him smirk to see the look on Erwin's face, the way his mouth hung open and his eyes sparkled with respect and surprise.

Mike glanced at Erwin, reading the same concern in his eyes, and silently inquired for advice. Erwin shook his head once, then turned his face away. Mike swallowed loudly, then began to descend the wall, following Levi. He would humour the man and go along with his little sport, but he decided to take Erwin's advice and back off, allowing Levi to take this victory.

On the side of Wall Maria, there was plenty more trees, with two small abandoned storehouses to anchor to. Levi had already slain two titans, using a new strategy of heading out to the farthest side and working his way inwards. He ducked under many of the movable titan limbs, careful not to anchor to any of the titan figures, as he sliced at the sacks placed along their elbows and necks.

Mike steered clear of him. Afraid he would hurt Levi by accident in attempting to slay any titans, he was careful to be out of his way. His mind was on overdrive as he moved, focused on recalling all the times he had interacted with Levi before and trying to find out what caused this hostility. His brows knit together in frustration and he found himself yelling as he brought both blades through the neck of a titan, splitting the sack clean in two and cutting down to the wood. He didn't pause, kicking off the figure and heading to another titan nearby. He vaguely wondered if Levi was still upset about the whole puddle incident in the underground?

He was breathy heavy, aware of his shirt clinging to his back with sweat. He paused to swipe the back of his hand across his upper lip, then inhaled to keep his nose from running. He could smell was wood, sweat, and an aroma unique to Levi, which caused him to shake his head to clear it. He had gone into the black as he fought, ignoring the burn in his biceps and thighs, so it surprised him when he looked up and found no more titans to slay. He met Levi's eyes from across the field, then nodded curtly before they both began to race back up the wall. They land on the wall at the same time, with Mike falling to one knee and breathing heavily. They immediately discarded their blades, letting them fall loudly to the wall beneath them.

Erwin came and placed a hand on his shoulder, patting his back.

"That was amazing!" The garrison began complimenting, unaware that both of the soldiers were still focused on the battle.

Both Mike's and Levi's bodies were slack, their limbs throbbing as they finally rested. Their pupils were dilated, their breathing heavy, and their heartbeats erratic as Erwin and Flagon helped them walk along the wall until they were finally back to reality.

"Does that happen to them outside the walls?" One of the garrison asked to another.

It was Flagon's friend who answered, nodding his head slowly and speaking with a bit of an odd accent. "The most elite fighters do. They just have to have time to wake up from out of it. It's like a zone or a focus...they get so into the drive to survive and protect others that they fade out the rest of the world in order to focus."

The garrison members looked on in awe, watching as Mike and Levi both sat and began to drink water. Erwin seemed to march between the two of them, making sure his best soldiers were well cared for.

"That's enough for both of you today. I order you both to rest." he commanded in a soft tone, touch Levi's hair. It surprised him when the smaller man didn't pull away.

Mike grunted his agreement, shifting his legs. He held Erwin's gaze for a while, conversing through their intense stares. He rose suddenly, pausing to push his hair off his face with his hand.

"That was a fine competition, Levi." he stated, reaching a hand out to help Levi to his feet.

"Likewise." Levi managed to utter, his voice quiet but full of respect.

Mike smiled and nodded, before turning to Erwin. "I will take a brief rest before I check in with my squad in the afternoon."

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then." Erwin replied, appreciating that Mike had made plans to occupy himself suddenly. He wanted to speak to Levi alone.

Erwin turned to Levi, his bright eyes shimmering with respect and awe. "I would need your help this afternoon, so perhaps we should go have a late lunch then?"

Levi's eyes widened a fraction, unsure of what had just transpired between Erwin and Mike. He nodded twice, looking to Flagon for a moment. Erwin turned and followed Mike, who had walked several paces before descending the walls. Below them on the ground were several horses, three of which Mike, Erwin, and Levi took to head back to the headquarters.

Levi had never gotten used to the amount of respect and disrespect that came whenever he followed Erwin. There was the soldiers that looked up to him and were grateful for his sacrifices. At the same time, there was also many people that took it upon themselves to disrespect him whenever he would walk by. It was hard for Levi to adjust to life above the walls; any disrespect towards him in the underground would result in a broken nose.

He was silent as he followed Erwin, who followed Mike back to the stables. But shortly after arriving to the courtyard, Mike turned left to round up his squad and Levi found himself being led to Erwin's office.

Erwin stopped a soldier on his way, touching their shoulder and speaking in soft voices. He let him go before continuing to his office, opening the door and then leading the way inside. He stood in front of his desk, beginning to unhook the maneuver gear from his harnesses, pausing to glance at Levi.

"Make yourself comfortable. We'll be a while."

Levi nodded, going along with Erwin's plans. He removed the gas canisters from his blade sheathes, then began to unhook the sheathes from his belts. Erwin watched him, leaning on his desk with one hand.

"You removed the gas first?" he asked, amused.

"Is that incorrect procedure?" Levi asked, not meeting his eyes as he placed his sheathes along the wall.

Erwin shook his head. "No," he answered easily, "It's just not how we train it."

Levi smirked, going to the small bowl of water that sat on a small table in the corner of the room and dunking his hands in it to wash them. "You do realize you're running the tanks if you don't remove them first. It's a waste."

Erwin chuckled, "It's probably too small an amount to notice."

"Consider it habit. I trained with a limited supply."

"I suppose so."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Levi had taken a seat across from Erwin's desk and turned to see if by some chance it would be the dog. To his surprise it was the soldier Erwin had stopped earlier. They handed Erwin a tray covered with two plates of sliced bread, with fresh fruit and cheese, two empty glasses, and a pitcher of cool water. Erwin thanked them and closed the office door, coming to place the tray down on his desktop. He began to pour two glasses of water for them.

"Eat, you don't have to wait for me." he smirked, noticing the way Levi had looked at the food.

Levi smirked, taking a slice of bread and beginning to eat.

"You must be hungry. You worked very hard." Erwin stated, sitting down behind his desk. He was surprised with how calm he remained around Levi right now, but he equated it to their recent activities. It was much easier to be around him when they were working than when they were acting as civilians and doing day-to-day things, such as eating.

Levi nodded, not wanting to be rude and speak with his mouth full. He swallowed, then responded, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. "It's hard to keep up with Mike sometimes."

Erwin nodded, taking a piece of cheese and adding it to the bread. "Yes," he agreed, then took a bite.

They ate in comfortable silence for a moment before Erwin spoke again.

"He is hard to keep up with, I suppose. But you seem to be quite adept at it. You bested him. And I was quite concerned about you."

"Concerned?" Levi raised an eyebrow, before indulging in the fresh fruit.

"You were so close to having him hit you and not the dummy. You realize that, right?"

"It was fun to me." Levi shrugged, "I wanted to feel the danger."

Erwin's eyebrows came together as he narrowed his eyes. "You're not...purposely putting yourself in danger...to harm yourself, are you Levi?" he asked.

Levi laughed, flashing Erwin a crooked smile. "Why would I do something like that?" he asked in a low voice.

"Survivor's guilt." Erwin answered easily, "I've seen it in one too many soldiers. You're not doing that, are you?"

His blue eyes had darkened and taken on a serious look as he searched Levi's eyes for the truth.

"No." Levi exhaled, "I'm not suicidal, Commander."

Erwin sighed in relief, his body relaxing minimally.

"It's just part of the course." Levi explained, "How many times can that sort of threat happen when we're fighting real titans?"

"To be under someone else's blades?" Erwin asked.

"To be in danger." Levi clarified.

Erwin shook his head, his lips curving up in amusement. "I think you just have something against Mike." he stated.

"Does that bother you?" Levi threw back.

Erwin's eyes widened, surprised Levi hadn't denied it. "No. Should it?"

"Why? You and him are...close." Levi replied, sounding puzzled. Erwin's acceptance and his distaste of his partner was seemingly odd to him.

Erwin laughed out loud, food and drink entirely forgotten. "Close?" he repeated, "In what way are you suggesting?"

Levi blushed, his cheeks tinting pink. He looked away, angry that he was embarrassed. "I just heard..." he murmured, trying not to state it aloud.

"You dislike Mike because Flagon told you I'm screwing him." Erwin accused, his voice still full of amusement.

Levi's eyes widened and he looked down. Clearing his throat, he glanced up at Erwin.

"Well, that's putting it bluntly." he stated.

Erwin's eyes narrowed, darkening with seduction. "And why would that bother you?" he questioned, his voice pitched low.

A shiver ran down Levi's spine and he pressed his lips together to keep from moaning softly. "You can't be that stupid." he retorted, hating his body for reacting so obviously.

"I want to hear you say it." Erwin responded easily, his voice still low and firm.

Levi exhaled heavily, rolling his eyes. "Is that an order?"

"Consider it one." Erwin replied, not afraid to push his authority.

Levi remained silent, finding it hard to find the right words to confess his secret to Erwin. It surprised him when Erwin stood up and came to stand in front of him, arms folded across his chest.

"Say it." He commanded again.

Levi looked up into Erwin's eyes, opening his mouth but not saying anything. He attempted to make a noise, then licked his lower lip. "I...like you." he finally bit out, shifting his eyes from Erwin to the table and back.

Erwin smirked, and leaned towards Levi. His hands came to grasp the arms of the chair, boxing Levi in. "Then kiss me." he ordered.

Levi's breathing increased as Erwin drew near, his eyes locked onto Erwin's. He hesitated at his command, before reaching up to wrap an arm around his neck and press their lips together, moaning softly in desire.

Erwin stayed still as Levi held him, then he wrapped his arms around Levi in return. Lifting him up easily, he slammed Levi against the wall of his office, pulling his legs to wrap around his waist. He cradled the back of his head with his hand, his fingers spearing through Levi's dark hair as they kissed. Taking advantage of Levi's moan, he swept his tongue inside his mouth, tasting him fully for the first time.

He pulled away, breaking their kiss to watch Levi attempt to catch his breath and brush his hair off his face. He was aware of Levi's hand on his shoulder, his legs holding onto Erwin's waist.

Levi brushed at his hair, pushing it off his face as he tried to get around the confused facts in his head. He had seen them hold hands. He had seen them walk to bed together. "He holds your hand." he countered, determined to find out the truth. "And he took you to bed last night."

Erwin chuckled, finding Levi's points humourous. "He was just encouraging me to talk to you. Because I...I like you too, Levi." he smirked, then leaned in to kiss Levi's neck.

They stared into each other's eyes, breathing deeply. Levi searched for honesty in Erwin's eyes, feeling happiness like a current of electricity sparking in his chest. Erwin began to kiss up Levi's neck, cradling his head in his hand. He breathed heavily for moment, inhaling Levi's sweet scent and indulging in holding him in his arms.

"I'm not screwing Mike." he whispered into Levi's ear, his voice rough with passion.

Levi made a soft whimpering sound, wrapping both his arms around Erwin's neck and burying his face in the crook of his neck. He was quiet for a moment, his fingers curling to hold the tips of Erwin's golden hair.

"He's always around you." He murmured, explaining himself as he tightened his hold on Erwin. It was his last defense as he found himself surrendering to the warmth of Erwin's arms and affections.

Erwin laughed softly, holding Levi tightly. "He's not around me now. " he whispered, turning his head to kiss Levi's cheek. "I'm all yours."


End file.
